The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to fuel flow measuring systems, and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for measuring liquid fuel flows within a conduit.
Fuel flow measuring systems are critical to many industries including automotive, oil and gas, power and aviation, due to the need to know how much fuel a vehicle or piece of machinery is consuming (or alternatively, to know how much fuel is passing through a pipeline or conduit). In many high mass flow applications, even a small inaccuracy in the fuel flow measurement can result in large revenue losses.
Existing fuel measuring systems may use turbine type meters that spin at a rate proportional to the volumetric flow rate. These types of systems tend to get worn out over time due to the stresses on the turbine bearings. In addition, they can restrict the fuel flow due to the inherent friction associated with spinning the turbine meter. Other types of meters use a flow section or orifice plate and a differential pressure measurement proportional to the flow rate. These types of systems also incur a fuel flow pressure loss. Furthermore, turbine and orifice plate type fuel meters are generally assumed to provide limited accuracy. Venturi-type flow meters can require a lengthy flow section which may not be ideal for many applications where space and/or weight limitations exist. Some conventional ultrasonic flow meters may suffer similar disadvantages.
It is desirable to have a durable, lighter weight fuel flow measuring system with lower pressure losses, which has a greater accuracy and can be utilized with controllers.